OR AMINES'. 577 



compound prescriptions for dysentery and monorrhagia, and is 

 specially used as a diuretic. It is often confounded with. 

 Cynodoii dacti/lon by the herbalists, or perhaps they consider 

 both grasses to be equally efficient. 



Description. — Hoot creeping, perennial. Culms straight, 

 rigid, round, smooth, from 1 to 3 feet high. Leaves numerous, 

 very long, chiefly about the base of the culms, rigid margins 

 hispid. Panicle erect, linear-oblong, often tending to a 

 conical form, composed of many somewhat threefold, verti- 

 celled, horizontal, short, rigid, secund ramifications. Spikelets 

 many-flowered, depending, in two rows, from the under-side of 

 the ramifications. Valves of corolla pointed, the inner one 

 rather the larg-est. 



CYNODON DACTYLON, -Pers. 



Fig._^»^. Bot. ziL, t. 850 ; Fl. Gmc, «"., t. 60. Creeping 

 Dog's-tooth-grass {Fng.) . 



Hab.— Plains of India, westward to the south of England. 



F 



The herb. 



Venin^ular. — Dm-vi, Ddb, HariydH {Sind.), Durba {Ben(f.), 



Durva, Hurala, Haryeli [Mar.). 



History, Uses, &C.— This grass must have first 

 attracted the attention of the ancient Hindus by its value as a 

 food for their cattle. A modern Indian proverb says 

 Zamindari dub ki jar hai (an estate like the roots of the Dub, 

 i.e., is always bearing). The plant has many synonyms m 

 Sanskrit, such as Granthi "knotted," Sveta "white, 

 Bhdrgavi "belonging to Sukra " (the reg ni of the planet 

 Venus), Ruha " growing," Dur-mara " not easily dying, &c. 

 Nanak Shah thus apostrophizes himself :— 



Nanak ! nannba ho rahn jaisi nannhi diib ! 

 Aur ghas jal jaengi, dub khub ki khiib. 



Be modest Nanak ! as the fresh soft Diib do^h l^^y^ '«' ,^^ , ., 

 Wh.U other grasses scorched up are, the i)«6'5 bloom ne er dotb 



die. (Fallon.) j j * 



In the Hig-Veda (x., 134) misfortunes are prayed to depart 

 like the Durva whose seeds fall far from the plant ; an allusion 



III— 73 



